Tamper-proof plastic cap

ABSTRACT

This tamper-proof cap for containers having a bead or screwthreads, comprises a flat-bottomed cap having a skirt formed with an inner bead for engagement on the neck of the container, and a capsule covering completely said cap with its bottom and outer skirt, said capsule being formed with a central disk connected by easily breakable means to the periphery of the bottom of said capsule, said disk being adapted to be resiliently retained in a central cavity of the cavity of of said cap.

United States Patent Lancesseur 1 Oct. 1, 1974 1 1 TAMPER-PROOF PLASTIC CA1 3,071,274 1/1963 Ravn .1 215/42 x 76] Inventor: Frangois p ss 1 Rue du R19,5l6 4/1935 Burke 215/42 X Dome Pans France Primary Examiner-Donald F. Norton 122] Filed: May 2, 1972 Attorney, Agent, or FirmAmster & Rothstein [21] Appl. No.: 249,698 [57] ABSTRACT 0 This tamper-proof cap for containers having a bead or Folelgn Appllcatlon y Data screw-threads, comprises a flat-bottomed cap having a May 4, 1971 France 71.15986 skirt formed with an inner bead for engagement on the neck of the container, and a capsule covering com- [52] US. Cl. 215/251, 215/277 pletely said cap with its bottom and outer skirt, said [51] Int. Cl B65d 41/34, B65d 41/46 capsule being formed with a central disk connected by [58] Field of Search 215/42, 46 A, 7 easily breakable means to the periphery of the bottom of said capsule, said disk being adapted to be resil- [56] References Cited iently retained in a central cavity of the cavity of UNITED STATES PATENTS Said p- 749,422 l/l904 Chapman 215/42 5 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures u II! II. 11111111111 VIII/I. 111111 PATENTED BET 1974 saw 1 us 5.

1 I i II! SHEET 3 OF 5 VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII PATEN 0m 1 i514 PATENTED OCT H974 SHEET 5 BF 5 TAMPER-PROOF PLASTIC CAP The present invention relates in general to caps for bottles and other containers, and has specific reference to a tamper-proof plastic cap characterized by a remarkable simplicity, a high efficiency and a low cost.

Most of hitherto known tamper-proof caps are char acterized by the provision, on the inner face of the outer skirt of the cap, of beads or annular ribs adapted resiliently to engage the lower portion of ring portions or annular beads formed on the neck of the container when the cap is force-fitted thereon, and also by means such as peripheral tear-off lugs for releasing this skirt and permit the opening of the cap.

A known proposition (French Pat. No. l 323 813, is sued on Apr. 4, 1962) consisted in closing bottles by using a plug fitting in the neck of the bottle and a cap adapted to hold the plug in position, this cap comprising an outer skirt adapted to fit on the neck of the bottle and an upper portion formed with a central disk connected through fragile or weak tearoff points and acting as a means for retaining a cover adapted to be actuated for removing this disk and permitting the access to the plug.

The present invention relates to a tamper-proof plastic closing cap for bottles or other containers having a beaded or screw-threaded neck, this cap being characterized in that it comprises in combination a shallow flat-bottomed stopper-forming portion and a skirt provided with means for retaining same on the neck of the container, and furthermore a tamper-proof capsule consisting of a cylindrical sleeve enclosing completely with its outer skirt the cap skirt, the bottom of said capsule being cut to provide a central disk which on the one hand is connected through weak points to the upper periphery of the sleeve and on the other hand is provided with means for retaining it on the bottom of said cap and preventing any relative rotation of said sleeve and cap.

To release the cap, the capsule must necessarily be removed and when doing so the weak means connecting this capsule to the central disk retained in a central cavity of the cap are broken, this proving that the capsule has been removed.

According to a specific form of embodiment, the cap proper comprises an external skirt formed at its lower edge with a retaining internal bead adapted to be engaged under the circular bead or ring of the container and a shallow cup-shaped bottom engaging with its outer edge the neck of the container; the capsule or cover consists of a cylindrical sleeve of which the outer skirt extends downwards considerably beyond the lower edge of the cap skirt in order to prevent any access thereto, the flat bottom of this capsule being cut to provide a central disk located at a lower level and connected to the outer periphery of the cap through fragile or easy-breaking connecting portions, lugs or points, the edge of said disk being adapted resiliently to engage a peripheral groove formed in the central shallow cup-shaped bottom of the cap.

According to a modified form of embodiment, the cap may be of the type broadly described hereinabove, but the guarantee capsule comprises a central disk formed in turn with a skirt terminating with a bead adapted to be force-fitted into a groove provided in the cap.

The manoeuvre is the same, that is, to remove the cap it is firstly necessary to tear off the capsule and thus break the points or lugs connecting the peripheral portion of this capsule to the central disk retained by the cap.

According to two different forms of embodiment of the tamper-proof and fluid-tight cap of this invention,

in a first case a sealing washer is provided and in the second case the neck of the container is screwthreaded and the skirt of the outer capsule is tapped.

In the first case, the circular bead formed in the bottom of the cap projects outwards; it comprises a cylindrical rib ending with a groove in which the means for retaining the disk of the capsule are adapted to be force fitted, said means consisting for example of a skirt formed along the edge of said disk and terminating with a bead adapted to be locked in said groove.

In the second case it is necessary to avoid any un timely rupture of the weak or fragile connection be tween the central disk and the peripheral portion of the capsule when the tapped skirt of' the cap covered by said capsule is screwed home on the screw-threaded neck of the container or bottle.

To avoid this, said fragile connection is completed by teeth formed along the outer periphery of the central disk, other teeth being provided in the inner edge of the peripheral portion of the capsule and such that they efficiently prevent any relative rotation when the cap is screwed in, while permitting, on the other hand, a relative rotation when this cap is screwed out; said other teeth may, if desired, have a saw-tooth configuration.

Thus, one can see immediately whether the bottle or other container was opened, or simply tampered with, or not.

Now a detailed description of various forms of embodiment of the improved tamper-proof cap of the invention will be given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing in elevation the upper portion of the neck of the container or bottle, and in axial section the cap with its guarantee or tamperproof capsule;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section showing the same elements in their bottle-closing position;

FIG. 3 is a plan view from above of the closed container;

FIG. 4 is a section similar to FIG. 2 but showing the neck and cap after the removal of the guarantee capsule;

FIG. 5 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3, showing the assembly after the removal of said guarantee capsule;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing in elevation a modified bottleneck and in section the cap with its guarantee capsule;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the cap with its guarantee capsule fitted on the neck of the bottle or other container;

FIG. 8 is a plan view from above of the closed container;

FIG. 9 is a view similarto FIG. 7 showing the assembly after the removal of the guarantee capsule;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 8, after the removal of the guarantee capsule;

FIGS. 11 to 15 inclusive are views similar to FIGS. 6 to 10 but showing a modified form of embodiment of the device;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a specific form of embodiment of the cap with its guarantee capsule, fitted on the bottle;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary plan view from above of the same assembly;

FIG. 18 is a diametral section showing the screwthreaded cap according to this second form of embodiment, with its guarantee capsule, fitted to the bottleneck;

FIG. 19 is a plan view from above of the assembly shown in FIG. 18.

The bottle 1 considered herein by way of example as constituting the container to which the closing device of this invention is to be fitted comprises a neck portion formed with an external bead 2 followed by an underlying groove 3 adapted to be resiliently engaged by the inner bead 4 formed along the lower edge of the outer skirt 5 of the flat-bottomed cap 6 provided with an internal shallow cup-shaped portion 7.

This flat-bottomed cap 6 thus comprises a moulded central cavity forming a cup 7 having a peripheral inner groove 9.

The guarantee capsule 10 is an element made of easily breakable plastic having a flat bottom 11 and an outer skirt 8. The central portion of its flat bottom 1 1 is cut to constitute a circular disk 12 connected by weld spots or like connecting points 13 to the capsule 10; this disk 12 is adapted to be force fitted into the cup 7 and retained therein by engaging its peripheral edge into the groove 9 of said cup (FIG. 2).

The device is normally delivered complete with its guarantee capsule force fitted in position and it is clear that when opening the bottle by pulling in the direction of the arrow F the connecting points 13 of the capsule will be broken so that the disk 12 will remain in position in the cup 7 (FIG. 4).

The user will thus see that the guarantee capsule has been removed and the access to the cap is now free.

Similarly, the cavity formed in the bottom of the cap and the disk of the capsule are not compulsorily of circular configuration.

In the exploded view of FIG. 6a modified form of embodiment of this composite cap comprises an external skirt 5 and an internal skirt l6 interconnected by a bottom 6, 7 providing therebetween a circular groove in which the neck 2 of the container 1 is adapted to be force fitted.

The central portion 7 of the cap bottom, bound by said internal skirt 6, is at a lower level than its peripheral portion 6; these two portions are connected through a circular groove 9.

The plastic guarantee capsule illustrated comprises a cylindrical side wall 10 and a bottom 11 having spaced apertures between a circular edge 17 and a disc 18; radial lugs 13 connect this bottom, in coplanar relationship, to a circular disk or patch 18 having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the central portion 7 of the cap bottom and this disk 18 is formed with an integral depending skirt 19 formed in turn with an external rib 19a adapted to be resiliently or force fitted into the groove 9.

4 To have access to the cap it is necessary, of course, toremove the guarantee capsule and, therefore, to break up the lugs 13 connecting the disk 18 to the main or outer portion of the capsule, said disk being retained by its lower edge previously force fitted into the groove 9 of the cap, as illustrated.

The alternate form of embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 15, in which the same reference numerals are used for designating similar or homologue elements, differs from the preceding one in that the central and peripheral portions 7 and 6, respectively, of the cap bottom are level with each other, the diameter of the circular disk 18 is slightly greater than that of the central portion 7 of the cap bottom, and the groove 9 in which the rib 19b of the skirt of the capsule is adapted to be force fitted is disposed externally of the internal skirt 16 of the cap, instead of internally; moreover, the rib 19b is internal instead of external, in relation to the skirt l9. 1

The capsule may be manufactured by molding from any suitable plastic material such as polystyrene, polypropylene, etc.. and have any desired colours and shapes, provided that the shallow hollowed bottom of this capsule be connected to a relatively thick central disk through fragile or breakable connecting lugs or points, the disk itself being adapted to be retained in the cap after having been force fitted into it.

The cap illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17 comprises a bottom 7 and an external skirt 5 provided at its lower edge with an internal head 21 adapted to engage from underneath the ring or circular bead 22 of bottleneck 1; between the bottom 7 of this cap and the bottleneck l a resilient sealing washer 23, for example of suitable elastomer, is interposed.

The bottom 7 of the cap comprises a peripheral upstanding rib 24 in which a circular groove 25 having a wider bottom 25a is formed.

Associated with this cap is a guarantee capsule in the form of a cylindrical sleeve 10 of which the bottom constitutes a circular disk 18 connected through tearoff lugs 13 to the in-turned upper edge 31 of said sleeve.

The disk 18 further comprises a peripheral skirt 19 adapted to be sunk into the groove 25 of the cap in which it is retained by the bead 19a formed along the lower edge of this skirt and locked in position in the wider lower portion 25a of groove 25.

This composite closing device is used exactly like the other forms of embodiment described hereinabove.

The modified form of embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19 consists of an internally screwthreaded tamper-proof cap for a container having an externally screw-threaded neck.

This cap comprises, for example, a bottom 7 and an external tapped skirt 5 adapted to engage the screwthreaded neck 26 of the bottle 1. Projecting from this bottom 7 is an internal skirt 27 having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the bottleneck.

In a groove 25 formed in this skirt and terminating with a wider portion 250, a skirt 19 formed integrally with the disk 18 and comprising a bead 19a at its lower end is adapted to be force fitted, said disk being connected through small, easily breakable or tear-ofi lugs 13 to the peripheral portion 31 of the guarantee capsule 10.

The edge of disk 18 is formed with integral teeth 29 abuting with one side against the radial side 30 of sawteeth 28 formed in the peripheral flange 31 of capsule 10, said disk teeth 29 being free on the other side.

Thus, when the tamper-proof cap is rotated in the screw-in direction (FIG. 19, arrow F) the radial sides of the saw-teeth abut against the disk teeth 29, so as to carry along this disk without exerting any action on the tear-off lugs 13; however, when the assembly is rotated in the opposite or unscrewing direction, the sawteeth 28 do not engage the disk teeth 29, and therefore the excessive traction exerted on the tear off lugs 13 is attended by the rupture thereof.

Of course, it is also possible, in this form of embodiment, to replace the internal rib 27 with an external rib 24 as in the preceding form of embodiment, notably if it is contemplated to interpose a sealing washer 23 as in the case illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17.

It is also obvious that the tamper-proof arrangement comprising a disk adapted to be detached from the guarantee capsule is applicable as well to other caps and plugs, outside the specific forms of embodiment given herein by way of example, as will readily occur to those conversant with the art. These modifications and many other would however remain within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A tamper-proof guaranty stopper assembly of plastic material for containers having a neck, which comprises a stopper associated with a tamper-proof guaranty capsule, said stopper comprising a central recessed cup-shaped portion of the same diameter as the neck of the container, an outer skirt conforming with and engaging the neck of the container, and an annular flange located between said cup and said skirt, said annular flange engaging the neck of the container, said capsule comprising an outer skirt fitting completely on said stopper skirt and container neck, a flat bottom formed with spaced apertures, a central disc surrounded by said spaced apertures, and fragile means connecting said disc to the flat bottom of said capsule, and means formed on said stopper and on said capsule to allow for snapping engagement between said stopper cup and said disc.

2. Assembly as set forth in claim I, wherein said stopper cup portion is disposed at a different level than that of said annular flange and includes a peripheral groove, the central disc of said capsule haying the same diameter as said groove, said disc being adapted to fit resiliently into said groove.

3. Assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stopper comprises an inner skirt adapted to fit into the neck of the container, a disc interposed between the walls of said skirt and a circular groove overlying the edges of said stopper disc, the disc of said capsule comprising an inner skirt and a circular rib at the lower end of said skirt which has the same diameter as the bottom of the groove of said stopper which is engageable by said lastnamed skirt (FIGS. 6 to 10). 3

4. Assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stopper comprises between its flange and said central cupshaped portion a circular groove opening upwards, and the capsule disc comprises an inner skirt having at its free end a bead adapted to engage said stopper groove (FIGS. 11 to 15).

5. A tamper-proof guaranty stopper assembly of plastic material for container having a neck, which comprises a stopper proper and a capsule adapted to be fitted to said stopper by covering same. said stopper com prising a central cup'shaped bottom, an external skirt adapted to engage the neck, a flat annular portion interconnecting said central cup-shaped bottom to said skirt, said capsule comprising an external skirt covering completely said stopper skirt, a flat bottom formed with spaced apertures, a central disc surrounded by said apertures, fragile means for connecting said capsule disc to said capsule, the inner edges of said apertures comprising sawteeth indentations, and means for snappily assembling said capsule disc and said stopper bottom when closing the container. 

1. A tamper-proof guaranty stopper assembly of plastic material for containers having a neck, which comprises a stopper associated with a tamper-proof guaranty capsule, said stopper comprising a central recessed cup-shaped portion of the same diameter as the neck of the container, an outer skirt conforming with and engaging the neck of the container, and an annular flange located between said cup and said skirt, said annular flange engaging the neck of the container, said capsule comprising an outer skirt fitting completely on said stopper skirt and container neck, a flat bottom formed with spaced apertures, a central disc surrounded by said spaced apertures, and fragile means connecting said disc to the flat bottom of said capsule, and means formed on said stopper and on said capsule to allow for snapping engagement between said stopper cup and said disc.
 2. Assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stopper cup portion is disposed at a different level than that of said annular flange and Includes a peripheral groove, the central disc of said capsule having the same diameter as said groove, said disc being adapted to fit resiliently into said groove.
 3. Assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stopper comprises an inner skirt adapted to fit into the neck of the container, a disc interposed between the walls of said skirt and a circular groove overlying the edges of said stopper disc, the disc of said capsule comprising an inner skirt and a circular rib at the lower end of said skirt which has the same diameter as the bottom of the groove of said stopper which is engageable by said last-named skirt (FIGS. 6 to 10).
 4. Assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stopper comprises between its flange and said central cup-shaped portion a circular groove opening upwards, and the capsule disc comprises an inner skirt having at its free end a bead adapted to engage said stopper groove (FIGS. 11 to 15).
 5. A tamper-proof guaranty stopper assembly of plastic material for container having a neck, which comprises a stopper proper and a capsule adapted to be fitted to said stopper by covering same. said stopper comprising a central cup-shaped bottom, an external skirt adapted to engage the neck, a flat annular portion interconnecting said central cup-shaped bottom to said skirt, said capsule comprising an external skirt covering completely said stopper skirt, a flat bottom formed with spaced apertures, a central disc surrounded by said apertures, fragile means for connecting said capsule disc to said capsule, the inner edges of said apertures comprising sawteeth indentations, and means for snappily assembling said capsule disc and said stopper bottom when closing the container. 